How to Organize Your Closet
“I have NOTHING to wear!” How many times have you said, heard, or thought this? You probably have more options than you think, but if your closet isn’t organized it can look pretty empty. Here are my personal tips for organizing your closet.
Step 1: Take everything out. If you can’t see it, it doesn't exist.
You just became Leonardo with a blank canvas. By taking everything out, you are able to see the amount of space you have. You can also weed out what you no longer wear. My general rule is if you haven’t worn an item in 6-8 months, it's time to donate, consign, or sell it.
Aside from a few items, I generally purchase pieces I can wear year round. This forces me to be more creative with my wardrobe. If you do have seasonal clothes, whether its sweaters or summer dresses, I recommend storage bins that fit under your bed or in your closet. For budget-friendly storage solutions, check out IKEA, The Container Store, or Target.
If you are anything like Carrie Bradshaw, your idea of a perfect closet is one that has a place for everything. The reality is that not everyone can afford a custom built closet of that magnitude. Elfa closets are a great alternative to design your own space or to better organize your existing space. Though Elfa closets can be expensive, I promise that you will have them for a lifetime- even if you move. One of the best things about Elfa closets is that the shelves and rods are all adjustable, making it easy to rearrange. I am the kind of person that needs change every couple months, so Elfa closets are perfect for me.
Step 2: Decide how you want to organize things.
I alternate organizing between color coding and garment size, but I always keep my bottoms (dresses, skirts, and jeans) and my tops (tanks, blouses, blazers) separate. I keep sweatshirts, pajamas, casual clothing, and workout apparel in my dresser.
If you like to pick out your outfits by color, Color-Code your closet.
Organizing your closet by color is an easy way to see how much or how little you have of any particular color. I tend to wear a lot of blue, purple, and pink. It’s easy to buy what we like, but sometimes we need to branch out and try new things. I like to organize each color by going light to heavy: tanks, tops with short sleeves, tops with long sleeves, sweaters, etc.
If you like to pick out your outfits in layers, organize by garment size.
I use the light to heavy method for this as well. Example: tank tops first, then t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, light sweaters, heavy sweaters, blazers, and lastly, jackets.
Shoes:
There are several ways to organize shoes, but it all depends on how much space you have. I keep the shoes I wear often in an over-the-door rack, and my expensive shoes in their original boxes. You can also use shoe racks that sit in the bottom of your closet.
Sweaters:
If you don’t have nice padded hangers, fold your sweaters. This will maintain the shape of your sweaters and any other delicate fabrics. As much as I love a good dry-cleaner hanger, they can leave marks on your clothes. Try not to keep dry cleaned sweaters or any other item in the plastic they send you home with. The plastic emits chemicals onto your clothing that can trap moisture and yellow your clothing over time. Instead, try using garment bags. They will compact your clothes and keep out unwanted odors, dust, and pests.
I keep handbags, scarves, gloves, and any other accessory on the shelves above my hanging sections.
How do you organize your closet? Share your tips and tricks in our Comments section.
-Trisha W.